I AM (2019)
i am still growing
i hear my mothers advice with every step i take
i smell jasmine incense & a cup of earl grey tea
i see that maybe things have to get worst before they get better
(please say things get better)
i want to be more honest, to be more loud
i am still afraid
i pretend that i am okay more often than i’d like to admit
i feel overwhelmed & anxious more often than not
i touch myself and learn my body without the hands of a lover
i worry about my little brother and the person he’ll become
i cry often and unapologetically
i am sometimes unkind & selfish
i am still healing
i understand that not all love can last
i say that everything is a social construct
i am always dreaming
i try to live my politics out loud
i hope it’s enough
i am still healing, still growing, still afraid, still dreaming
i am still here
—–
I wrote my first “I Am” poem in 2017. I have done various versions of this prompt since then,during icebreakers and introductions, but I wanted to see how it would be different to sit down a write a full piece in 2019 to document where & who I am right now. Here is the prompt that I used to get started:
Great prompt! What a powerful tool for reflection- to have “I am” poems from multiple years to look back on … compare/contrast/share.
& ps – things do get better
I trust that they do 🙂
Yes, things get better and then they level off when you’re about 50 until the inevitable decline comes, so enjoy! Get loud and I hope you can stop worrying. I wish I could stop worrying!